Sovereignty. The name sovereign was first applied to kings. Everyone in a kingdom was a subject of the king. The king himself was usually sovereign, which means subject to no one. Few kings are left in the world, but the idea of sovereignty remains. Today, national states are considered subject to no one, and therefore sovereign. A sovereign country can conduct its own affairs, enter into treaties, declare war, or adopt any other course of action without another country’s consent. Small countries are sometimes sovereign in name only. They shape their policies and conduct their affairs to suit the desires or needs of a stronger country. The United States is a sovereign nation, but the 50 states which compose it do not have full sovereignty.
